10 Famous Sporting Protests

This should get the President tweeting...

If you want to see the impact a sporting protest can have, check the Twitter feed of the President of the United States of America.

Rather than the human crisis in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria, or the safety of American citizens at home and overseas, President Donald Trump’s primary focus appears to be on a few NFL players who are taking a stand by taking a knee.

That says more about the man than it does the office, and is of course not representative of the priorities of the entire world, but it does show how protest can capture attention.

Sportspeople are some of the most visible in our society and will sometimes use this platform to highlight objections felt within the wider community. They have a captive audience, both in terms of their fanbase and the media, which makes them difficult to ignore.

Protests by athletes or non-athletes at sporting events have been going on long before the current NFL debate. Some have affected serious change already, and some are still works in progress...

Sports Journalism graduate. Writer on football, WWE, film and TV. The greatest TV show ever is The West Wing, and the greatest footballer ever is Harry Kane. One of those claims carries greater weight than the other. Disagree? Discuss with me on Twitter @JoeFish08